


Containment

by pickleplum



Series: Owl and Dragon [28]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Gen, a little bit of swearing, just a little
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-11
Updated: 2014-06-11
Packaged: 2018-02-04 05:26:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1767139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pickleplum/pseuds/pickleplum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newt helps Hermann deal with the loss of another Jaeger. By insulting him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Containment

" **GODDAMN IT**!"  
  
Hermann's headphones fly across the lab and skid to a stop at Newt's feet.  
  
"What's up, dude? Your vinyl skipping again?" Newt turns from his sample and hears Hermann's uneven steps fading down the corridor. He strips off his gloves and pursues.  
  
He knocks at Hermann's door.  
  
No answer.  
  
"Hermann?"  
  
The door flies open.  
  
"You look like hell. What happened?"  
  
Hermann scrubs his face and retreats to sit on his mattress. "We lost another pair of Rangers and their Jaeger."  
  
"Shit, dude. I'm sorry." Newt perches next to him.  
  
"Why are **you** apologizing? **You're** not the one who failed."  
  
"What're you—"  
  
" _Eden Assassin_ 's last upgrade failed. My code didn't work."  
  
"Dude, wasn’t that thing **ancient**? What were they even **doing** out there?"  
  
" **Their job**. They were doing their job and I failed them."  
  
"They died fighting something bigger and meaner than them with outdated equipment. They saved the city, though, right?"  
  
Hermann’s head snaps around mid-nod as his tablet chimes.  
  
Newt beats him to it. "Oh. Oh **shit**."  
  
" **What**? What’s going on?"  
  
"Uh. **No**. No, you **don’t** need to know this right now." Newt starts to get up.  
  
Hermann rips the tablet from Newt’s hands. He reads the message and all color drains from his skin.  
  
"I’m so sorry, Hermann."  
  
"Stop apologizing, you **twit**."  
  
"It’s not your fault, either, Hermann. They shouldn’t have been out there."  
  
"What good are protectors who do more damage than the enemy?" Hermann buries his head in his hands. "Part of that failed upgrade was meant to improve the reactor safeguards."  
  
Newt blinks at the wall.  
  
"Nothing to say, Newton?"  
  
"Dude … what **can** I say?"  
  
" **Scream** at me! **Threaten** me! Throw things at me! **Anything** but pity!"  
  
"This. Is. Not. Your. Fault."  
  
"Yes! It! Is!"  
  
"For **fuck’s** sake, **it’s not** , you **dumb** ass!" Newt jumps up and glares at Hermann from point-blank range. "You thinking you should be pulling off **miracles**? Well, I have news for you, **Doctor** Hermann Gottlieb, whatever your **inflated** opinion of yourself, you’re not a god! You can’t make fucking **miracles** happen!"  
  
"I should at least be able to **do my job**!"  
  
"Yeah! And you **do**! But your job doesn’t include goddamn **miracles**!"  
  
Hermann’s lips thin almost out of existence and his glare nearly ignites Newt’s eyebrows.  
  
"Do you have **any** idea how **nuts** your **‘job’** is now? You and an **intern** — **only** you and an intern—maintain the most complex software in the world, predict openings of a goddamn **interdimensional portal** , figure out how the damn thing **works** , **and** whatever the **fuck** other duties the Marshals dump on you!"  
  
" **Newton**. Shut **up**!" Hermann rises and fights to loom over Newt. "Today, we lost half **a city** in a **preventable** nuclear disaster and one of our last defenses against an enemy which seems bent on annihilating us. My **workload** is inconsequential." He grinds his teeth. "I need to do better. I need to **be** better."  
  
Newt reaches out to grip Hermann’s shoulder and shake him, but Hermann lunges across the room before he makes contact.  
  
Newt chews his lip before it twists into a wicked grin. "Well, if your work is **sooooo important** , why are you moping **here** instead of **doing it**?"  
  
Hermann snarls, straightens, and grabs his cane. " **OUT**."  
  
Newt trails Hermann to the lab, smirking.

**Author's Note:**

> Another little thing which isn't much of a story on its own, but, trust me, the Athene!AU needs it.
> 
> [artificiallifecreator](http://archiveofourown.org/users/artificiallifecreator/pseuds/artificiallifecreator) helped punch up some of Newt's ranting.


End file.
